Norwegian would boost local economy: My Word

March 20, 2014|By Frank Kruppenbacher and Phil Brown

Tourism is critical to Central Florida. It is the engine that drives the local economy and supports tens of thousands of jobs.

Accordingly, expanding international air service at Orlando International Airport has always been one of our community's highest priorities. Without diverse and affordable global access to and from Orlando, maximum economic benefits for our citizens cannot be realized.

In a March 12 My Word column, "Don't clear Norwegian for OIA landing," pilot Steve Jangelis expressed concern on behalf of his colleagues over Norwegian Air International's application to provide low-cost, transatlantic service to Orlando that is currently under consideration by the U.S. Department of Transportation. While we respect these pilots, the excellent job they do and their point of view, clarification is necessary.

Let us be clear: When it comes to air travel, safety is the No. 1 priority. If it were shown that Norwegian Air International compromised safety, we would not support its pending DOT application. The fact is, safety regulators in Ireland, who are highly ranked internationally, have carefully reviewed Norwegian's application for an operating certificate and approved it without reservation.

Moreover, Norwegian's transatlantic crews and equipment would also be subject to U.S. safety oversight. Norwegian's safety case is a strength, not a weakness, as was suggested.

We also feel claims of economic disadvantage are unfounded. We have great confidence U.S. airlines can vigorously compete with any international carrier. We predict Norwegian will stimulate new traffic rather than harm U.S. airlines.

In addition, we understand Norwegian will be competitive in the salaries paid to its pilots, as demonstrated by Norwegian's ability to attract experienced pilots from leading airlines like Air France/KLM.

Nationally, the travel industry has been a key factor in economic recovery, adding 520,000 jobs since 2010. Locally, the addition of the Norwegian service would create an estimated 455 jobs and generate $32 million in annual revenue.

Given the potential for spurring economic growth through the creation of tourism-related jobs and the billions invested in new Boeing 787 aircraft, we fail to see any reason to oppose the approval of Norwegian Air's application to serve the Orlando market.

Supporting new air service that provides jobs, access and choices and spurs economic development is not an unusual role for a community and its leadership.